“And she’s having trouble paying for it,” Kurt said.
“Yes, to all of what y’all just said.” Jackson sighed. “Jeremy’s a good kid. I’ve already gotten the impression that he’s gotten used to not asking for anything, especially if it means that his mother’s going to have to do without.”
“But he’s a kid who’s already lost his father,” Kurt said.
“And his mom’s sweet enough to run herself ragged trying to let him be on the team. I’m worried about her. The coach is holding practices three times a week, plus there’s an expectation for the kid to go to the batting cages weekly, too.”
“Which ain’t cheap,” Ace said. He rubbed a hand along the scruff on his cheeks. “Lord knows I’ve had to figure out how to get Finn to special coaching sessions over the years. It all helps, but that help always costs something.”
Jackson nodded. “Exactly.”
“Has she talked to the coach?” Ace asked. “If Dani tells him how things are, he might cut some money off of her dues.”
Troy nodded. “If he’s that good, they’ll call it scholarship money.”
“She said she would, and I’m sure the coach will help as much as he can. But we all know that there are other expenses, too. Like I said, she’s got some pride involved. I know Jeremy already feels different from the other boys, seeing as how he’s the only one who doesn’t have a dad.”
“I can understand that,” Ace murmured.
“I told Dani that I’d help run Jeremy places, but she didn’t seem real excited to take me up on that. And, to be honest, I don’t have that much extra time in the evenings. That’s when she needs help the most.”
Now that he’d put it all on the table, Jackson turned to Kurt. “I thought maybe Sam might need to do some community hours or something. Maybe he could help with one of the weekly practices? Or I could pay him.”
Kurt shook his head. “You don’t need to pay him. I’m sure Sam will help, but I don’t know how often he’d be able to. He’s working a lot of hours to have spending money for college. Plus, he’s got Kayla.”
Troy leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Oh, hell. We can all step up. I can’t think of the number of times my momma had to call around to get me picked up from one practice or another. I’ll be happy to run the kid around from time to time.”
Kurt nodded. “And we can all chip in to pay for his fees and uniforms, too.”
Jackson nodded his thanks. “I appreciate it, especially seeing as how y’all wouldn’t know her or her boy if they knocked on your door.”
“It’s nothing,” Ace said gruffly. “Don’t think anything of it. It’s good to hear about a woman sacrificing so much for her kid. Not every mother does.”
Jackson knew Ace was referring to his boy Finn’s mother, whose priorities weren’t always her boy. Her neglect was one of the reasons Ace had moved Finn to Bridgeport. “Again, thank you. But if it was just a matter of paying for things, I would have done it. I don’t have a lot of extra, but I could help Dani and Jeremy out without hurting. But she isn’t one to accept charity.”
Troy waved a hand. “I’ll talk to her.” Brightening, he said, “I’ll say that my company wants to help sponsor the team.”
Thinking about Dani, about how private she was, Jackson knew if Troy showed up and started steamrolling her, she would get pretty flustered. “I was thinking maybe the Social Club could do something.”
Kurt’s expression sharpened. “Like how? Ask for a donation next time we play?”
“Maybe make a percentage of the pot go toward an anonymous family in need?”
“Do you think she would accept some financial help that way?”
“I think so,” Jackson said slowly. “Especially if I told her that the Social Club does things like this from time to time.”
“Except that we don’t,” Ace murmured.
“But we could, right?” Troy asked as he sat up a little straighter. “Maybe we should.” Glancing at Kurt, he continued. “Maybe we should think about doing something more. Hell, how about this? Twice a year we could hold an extra tournament and give the winnings to a local family needing an extra hand.”
“That sounds good, but what do you think all the other guys would say?” Ace asked. “Some of them only come for the chance to make a few bucks.”
“But a whole lot more guys show up because it’s an easy night out with the guys,” Troy pointed out. “They’ll put forty or fifty bucks in the pot just for that. I’m sure of it.”
Jackson liked the idea, but he didn’t want to push something on an old friend who’d been nothing but nice to him. “What do you think, Kurt? Do you want to think about this? You can let me know in a day or two.”
“I don’t need any time, Cookie. If the BSC has a way to help a kid play ball, then I want to help.”
Jackson was starting to feel optimistic but wanted to be sure. “Really? You don’t think you’re gonna get crap for it from the rest of the guys?”
“I don’t really care. I started this social club. I think that means I have some say in how it’s run.” Kurt smiled. “As far as I’m concerned, we can do anything we want, ’cause it all takes place in my garage.”
“Thanks a lot. I knew I could count on y’all.” Already he was thinking of a way he could tell her. “As soon as I talk things through with Dani, I’ll let you know.”
Troy rolled his eyes. “No way. You’ll wait too long and that kid and his mom have dues to pay right now. Call her up.”
“It ain’t that easy.”
“Sure it is,” Troy said. “We’re all friends.”
“Bring her on over for a barbecue soon,” Kurt said before Jackson could get in another word. “And before you start saying that she could be uncomfortable, we’ll ask the girls to come over too. They’ll be happy to do that.”
“Finn and his girlfriend Allison will be here. That should take care of Kate.”
“Ask her soon, Cookie,” Kurt said. “The only way we can get this rolling is by getting her okay.”
“I hear you,” Jackson said. Now all he had to do was find a time that she could come over to Kurt’s to talk.
He hoped he didn’t mess this up.
CHAPTER 15
From Les Larke’s
You, Too, Can Host
a Poker Tourney:
Be sure to have a tasty array of snacks for everyone to munch on. Popular choices are vegetable sticks, minisandwiches, and tortilla chips.
Tuesday
“Dani, I’m getting the feeling that you’ve been avoiding me,” Reed Moore said as he entered his living room.
Dani gritted her teeth as he stepped on his pure white carpet with his shoes. Why people bought carpet like this and then never treated it well was a mystery.
Almost as much as why a rich man like him would be creeping on a thirty-three-year-old cleaning woman in old shorts and a T-shirt. “I’m not avoiding anything,” she said as she continued to wipe the chrome shelves that lined an entire wall. “Just trying to get my work done, sir.”
He smirked. “We already talked about you calling me that. Call me Reed.”
Oh, she really did not want to. Keeping her eyes firmly on her work, she murmured, “It’s better if we keep things professional, Mr. Moore.”
“Better how?” He stepped closer, causing her instincts to send out alarm signals. “You clean my house. That’s personal. I think that means we know each other pretty well.”
No, that meant she knew he never vacuumed and had a big collection of dirty magazines. Looking at him at last, she said, “Mr. Moore, I’m sorry but I can’t talk right now. I’ve got to get this room done. I’m on a pretty tight schedule today.” Pulling out her dust rag, she walked to the other side of the couch. She needed to keep as much space in between the two of them as possible.
�
�For what?” He looked at his designer watch. “It’s only a quarter to eleven. I know your kid doesn’t get home for hours.”
She hated that he knew that she had a child. Hated that he even knew that much of her schedule. Reminding herself that she had groceries to buy and bills to pay, she started wiping down the shelves faster. “I have another house to clean.”
“I’ll pay you for the time you missed.” When she turned back at him in shock, he grinned. “You can hang out here all afternoon. You’ll never miss the money.”
It felt like her ears were bleeding, she was so offended. But maybe she’d misunderstood? “What are you suggesting that we do all afternoon?”
“Come on, we’re both adults.” His voice was impatient now. Harder.
She was beginning to go from irritated to scared. “I think I’d better leave.”
Just as she turned to walk out of the room, he grabbed her arm. “Dani, if you walk out of this room right now, you’re going to really regret it.”
“If I stay here another second I’m going to regret it even more.” She yanked on her arm. He was gripping it really tight now. “I suggest you take your hand off of me. Now.”
After another small tug, he dropped his hand, looking like she was tainted. “Go on then. Hurry out, but don’t expect to be paid.”
Dani bit her tongue before she did something stupid and told him exactly what she felt about men like him. Dropping the rag she’d been using on the floor, she walked to the door.
She slipped on her old Keds, picked up her basket of cleaning supplies and purse, and rushed out the door. Her heart was racing as she walked, each word and action of Reed Moore repeating in her brain. She’d always felt he was slightly slimy, but his actions and words today had taken his behavior to a whole new level. He’d actually grabbed her! For a moment there, she’d been afraid he wasn’t going to let her go.
The moment she got into her car, she’d locked the doors, half afraid that he was going to come after her. Unable to help herself, she looked back at the house.
But the front door was still firmly shut, and all of the windows looked dark. He was nowhere to be seen. With shaking hands, she directed her car down his driveway. Thank goodness she was never going to have to see him again.
Just as she was about to head over to Mrs. Burridge’s house, she glanced at the clock and realized she was way too early. Mrs. B. wasn’t always home when she cleaned, but she’d told Dani more than once that she liked to completely prepare the house before she arrived. That meant she had almost two hours to kill.
Most days she would’ve just gone home and used the time to work on supper or to clean her own place. But there was no way that she could handle that—she was too rattled. She was also on the verge of tears.
Deciding that she needed to take a break, she headed down to Bridgeport’s Main Street. She was going out to lunch.
As she drove into downtown Bridgeport, on the way to a fast-food place, she spied a taco truck near the bike path. Deciding that option sounded a whole lot better than a burger, she parked on the side and then joined the crowd in line.
“Dani?”
She turned to see Jackson, Kate, and another man had just walked up behind her. It took a minute, but she smiled brightly. “Hi, guys. This is a nice surprise.”
“Hi, Miss Dani!”
Reaching down, she gave Kate a quick hug. “Hi, good to see you, Kate.” She could practically feel Jackson’s gaze sweep over her … and suddenly realized that she wasn’t exactly dressed for being seen in public. “Don’t look at me,” she teased. “I look a fright. I’m in the middle of my workday.”
Obviously thinking they were playing a new game, Kate closed her eyes as she started bobbing on the balls of her feet. “Where should I look now?”
Jackson put a hand on his little girl’s shoulder. “That’s just an expression and you can look anywhere you like.” Turning back to her, he said, “And don’t be silly, Dan. You look fine.”
Protesting again would just make her seem vain. “I was going to run through the drive-through, but this sounded too good.”
“We thought so, too. By the way, this is Troy. He’s one of my friends from Spartan.”
“Hi, Dani,” he said, holding out his hand. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about you, both from Kate and Jackson.”
“It’s nice to meet you. And it’s good to hear I’m getting positive reports about my babysitting.”
Troy smiled. “Not just about your babysitting.”
Smiling back at him, Dani blushed. Troy looked like he should be in a Hollywood movie or something, he was so good-looking. He was easily almost as handsome as Jackson. “What are you guys up to today?”
“Since I’m not working tonight, Kate and I are making a day of it. We went to the park this morning.”
She was prevented from replying when the people in front of her moved away and it was time to order. After ordering two fish tacos and an iced tea, she got out her wallet.
“We’ve got this, Dani,” Jackson said.
“Are you sure?”
“It’s seven dollars. I’m sure.”
“Thanks.”
After they ordered and their numbers were called up, Troy said, “Come sit down and join us.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”
“We’re positive,” Jackson said easily, giving her another long look.
She walked by their side to a picnic table a little down the way. After they all sat down, and Jackson placed Kate’s quesadilla in front of her, they started eating.
And boy, was it good! Especially after the morning she’d had. She really did need to remember the benefits of treating herself every now and then.
“So, I don’t usually see you in town during the day. Did one of your houses get canceled?”
“No. I left one of them early and had almost two hours to kill before I went to another house.”
Just as Jackson was about to nod, his eyes narrowed. “Wait a minute. Something doesn’t sound right in your voice. Did something happen?”
Though she meant to shrug off his concern, his kindness triggered all the emotion and fear she’d been feeling just a short hour ago. “I had kind of a strange situation this morning. I had to get out of there.” Her eyes widened. Shoot! She sounded like she was on the verge of crying.
“What happened?” Troy asked.
After peeking at Kate, who was playing with Jackson’s phone and eating her lunch, she said, “My morning house belongs to a married couple, but the wife is the one who works full time. The husband is the one who takes care of the house.”
Jackson nodded. “Okay … and you have a problem with that?”
“With the man staying home? No! Of course not. It’s um, this man in particular.” She picked up a chip and dipped it into the fresh salsa that Troy had put in the center of the table.
Troy looked at her intently. “What’s wrong with him?”
Dani glanced at Kate again. Reassured that the little girl was still playing on the phone, she said, “He’s always been a jerk. But today …” Her voice dropped off. What could she say that wouldn’t make her sound weak or like she was exaggerating? She shouldn’t have brought it up in the first place.
Jackson’s voice hardened. “What did he do today?”
“He grabbed my arm. I thought …” She drew in a calming breath, then whispered, “For a minute there I thought he was going to um, force himself on me.”
Both men exchanged looks, and Jackson, well, Jackson looked angrier than she’d ever seen him. Honestly, he was so steady and easygoing she hadn’t even imagined he could get so angry. “Are you hurt?” he asked quietly.
She shook her head. “Um, as soon as I got free I grabbed my things and got out of there. I told him I wouldn’t be back.”
“Did you
call the police?” Troy asked.
“The police? Um, no. Like I said, I got out of there. But it kind of shook me up. Mr. Moore went from kind of creepy to really creepy in a matter of ten seconds.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Troy asked, studying her carefully. “Do you need to go to the hospital or anything?”
Dani realized then that the guys thought she was fibbing about getting away. Raising her chin a bit, she said, “Guys, I promise, I’m fine. I’m sorry I brought it up.”
“Where did he grab you, Dan?” Jackson asked.
She pointed to her upper left arm. “Here.” Luckily, she had on a light sweater over her T-shirt.
“Let me see.”
“Here? Um, I don’t think so.”
“I don’t want to manhandle you, but I think I need to see, Dani.”
Glancing at Troy, he nodded. “No one is looking. And it’s just your arm, right?”
“Right.” Realizing that if she refused to show her arm it would make even a bigger deal out of the incident, she slipped off one of the sides of the cardigan and edged it down her arm.
When she bared her arm, which was actually covered in bruises, Jackson sucked in a breath. After a mumbled curse, he helped her put back on her sweater. “He grabbed you hard. Are you sure he didn’t touch you anywhere else? That you’re all right?”
“I promise. I’m fine. I just need to calm down.”
“I think we need to get this guy’s name, Jack,” Troy said.
“Yeah, I do, too,” Jackson said quietly. “Now, who is it? His last name is Moore, you said?”
Oh, Lord. Had she actually said that? She really needed to get a hold of herself. “I’m not going to give you his name.”
But instead of looking relaxed, Jackson looked even more upset. “Did he even pay you for working today?”
“No. I ran out of there. I mean, it wasn’t like he was going to pull out his wallet and pay me anyway. He was pretty mad.”
“You ran out of there,” he repeated. Turning to Troy, Jackson said, “I’m thinking we need to pay this guy a visit.”
Hold on Tight Page 11
